Rarely has a Bay Area venue entertained do-or-die, winner-take-all stakes when it comes to a seven-game playoff series.

Regardless of how the Sharks slid to this point of the Western Conference semifinals against the Detroit Red Wings, HP Pavilion will be under siege Thursday night by the dramatic nature of a Game 7.

OK, so the Sharks experienced that Game 7 sizzle only three years ago, when they claimed a 5-3 home win over Calgary to cap their opening-round series.

But that’s it in terms of Game 7 history on the Sharks’ home ice. No disrespect intended to past Game 7 heroes on the road such as Jamie Baker in 1994 at Detroit and Ray Whitney in 1995 at Calgary.

Thursday’s showdown marks only the seventh Game 7 hosted in the Bay Area between the NHL, NBA and Major League baseball playoffs. Scoreboard: Home-field advantage 4, Visitors 2.

Only one Game 7 has ever been hosted by the Giants: In the 1962 World Series, a 1-0 loss to the New York Yankees and Bobby Richardson’s glove.

Only one Game 7 has ever gone down at the A’s inescapable home that is the Oakland Coliseum: In the 1973 World Series, a 5-2 win over the New York Mets.

Despite their slim resume in the NBA playoffs, the Warriors have hosted three Game 7s: Winning the 1964 Western Division Finals over St. Louis (95-85), capturing the 1975 Western Conference finals over Chicago (83-79, en route to the franchise’s lone NBA title) and falling in the 1976 conference finals to Phoenix (94-86).

What does all this home-field history have to do with the Sharks? Consider it alternative viewing from the Sharks’ comparisons to the 1942 Detroit Red Wings, 1975 Pittsburgh Penguins and 2010 Boston Bruins — the three teams eliminated despite 3-0 series leads.

Of course, Sharks fans might also prefer regaling in how their team has won its last three elimination games at home: in the 2009 quarterfinals against Anaheim (Game 5, 3-2 overtime), 2008 semifinals against Dallas (Game 5, 3-2 overtime), and 2008 quarterfinals vs. Calgary (Game 7, 5-3).

The time is ripe for more Sharks theatrics. Not only is the Bay Area still buzzing from the Giants’ run to San Francisco’s first World Series title last fall, the NHL playoffs are filling a void created by the NFL lockout.

Speaking of football, every playoff game has that win-or-go-home mentality, and we’ve been well schooled in that by the Raiders and 49ers.

The Raiders are an astounding 14-3 in playoff games held in Oakland, even if it’s been eight seasons since their last Coliseum postseason show — a 41-24 win over the Tennessee Titans for the AFC title.

As for the 49ers, they own 19 home playoff wins, but they’ve had nine seasons end despite so-called home-field advantage in the playoffs. Their own eight-season playoff drought was preceded by a 39-38 comeback win over the New York Giants in a wild-card thriller at Candlestick Park.

Thursday night marks the 22nd elimination game in Sharks history, and although they are 4-5 in those at home, they’ll be trying to improve to 2-0 in Game 7s at home.

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